What Awaits Us
Last Saturday several of us from our house church went on a mission trip…all the way across the street to our city park. Â Our mission? Â To reclaim the green space from winter! Â Winter and the boundless amounts of junk and trash that collects under bushes and in the crevices of the park. Â We are building relationships with people in our neighborhood, and enjoying the company of our neighbors as we work together to restore our crumbling city park.
It is one of the oldest parks in the city, and it is located in our neighborhood, one of the most diverse neighborhoods on the West Side of Chicago. Â There is a lot of work to be done. Â Graffiti and all kinds of bio-hazards awaited us as we began cleaning up the park’s gardens on Saturday. Â We tried to invite some of the homeless to join us in the clean-up effort…but alas, maybe next time!
In any case, we had a fantastic time – and it is saying to our neighbors, “We love you so much that we want to share with you not only the Gospel, but our lives as well.” (1 Thess 2:8)
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Every church, whether small group or mega-crowd, should have a mission.
I think its more powerful if everyone in the group has the same mission, but that is not always feasible. Â In fact, in our organic church network, we ask each house church NOT to begin gathering as a church family until there is a notion of what God is calling you to in his mission. Â Every church must be called to mission – we are the ekklesia - the “called out” ones.
We are the people of God on the move!
What is your mission? Could you share it with your small group?  Could it become the raison d’être for your congregation?  There is a famous quote,
“God’s church does not have a mission, God’s mission has a church.”
Without it, you might say that your church has nothing to do but collectively navel gaze. Â It can become pretty consuming. Â Each church is called to “make disciples of all nations.” Â But notice – Jesus says, “As you go…” Â Your disciple-making is done “on the way.” On the way to the local park for spring cleaning, on the way to to Mexico to care for orphans, on the way to your lunch break. Â Your mission quickly becomes your purpose for living – the Gospel becomes the white space between all the words you say.
What might it look like for the mission in your heart to become the work your church focuses on each time you gather together? Â Would your church become healthier if it lived with the chance they would have to give up everything they had in order to follow Jesus faithfully into that mission?
doloris are discussing. 
doloris 5:37 pm on April 19, 2011 Permalink
I always want to hear more on the possible relationship between the individual and her church as far as mission is concerned. Do all churches have as specific missions as all individuals do? Or is it much more complex – for example, a person may not feel pulled towards the world in a particular way, but she meets a church who does and so joins in that direction cheerfully. Or vice versa. Or a church that meets mostly to be fascinated by the varieties of ways each other is living. Or a church who does not organizationally establish a mission, but finds their individual directions quite kin (leading to encouragement, but also presumption). As multifarious as the world exists, I hope churches relate in appropriately various ways. (i also wonder if we can see such differences in structure and mission in the early churches – how does the context of mission effect our understanding of the letters written to them?)
-jes
Mark W 7:22 pm on April 19, 2011 Permalink
There is a wonderful complexity of mission, the individual, and her community. Sometimes a person with a vision helps encourage a whole group to join in the fun, whereas other times an individual finds their own purpose in the mission already owned by a congregation. Still other times a church will have multiple missions and like you said so well, “the meet mostly to be fascinated by the varieties…” Very beautiful!
Maybe the point beneath it all is a persistent desire to be spiritually formed by the movement of mission – both in community and as an individual. VERY interesting comment Jes!